Upgrade question

[tupperstamper]

We are currently booked for a balcony for our cruise in May. I have received the offer to bid. We are considering a mini suite. I went online to check the current mini suite prices and it is actually $458 less than what we paid for our balcony. If I bypass the bidding and call NCL directly and tell them I want to upgrade to a mini suite  will they let me do this since the price is lower but the cabin is an upgrade? I've done it when the cabin was a few hundred dollars more but I'm not sure about this situation.

Edited February 9, 2020 by tupperstamper
Spellin

[julig22]

I've done it.  The worst that can happen is that they say no.  If you booked through NCL, you can call them.  If you booked through a TA, your TA will have to call for you.

You might lose perks that you took when you booked if you had anything that isn't currently being offered.  Also, if they tell you no, sometimes you can call back and talk to a different agent who will do the upgrade.

One caveat - it's usually a one-time deal.  They might also offer you onboard credit, usually 25% of the price difference, or maybe future cruise credit.  Once you take the offer, you most likely won't be able to come back if prices drop again.

I once upgraded to a mini-suite when it was less than my balcony.  As soon as I upgraded, I did get offers to bid to Haven, etc, so that part doesn't go away.

[luv2kroooz]

I think results are inconsistent. Some report success and others report that you have to actually pay a higher fare to upgrade, even if it is only $10 or $20 different. Can't hurt to try though. Good luck!!

[gonna go cruising]

I have another question regarding upgrades. If I am bidding on an upgrade to balcony, I do not want a priva sea balcony so is there any chance I would be stuck with that kind? If so I will withdraw my bid. 

 

[ColeThornton]

3 minutes ago, gonna go cruising said:

I have another question regarding upgrades. If I am bidding on an upgrade to balcony, I do not want a priva sea balcony so is there any chance I would be stuck with that kind? If so I will withdraw my bid. 

 

 

 

That definitely is a possibility.  Personally I wouldn't mind one of those.  They protect you from the elements/wind/etc.

[gonna go cruising]

Not what I was hoping to hear since to me the privasea is more like an oceanview if you cannot be out in the air. 

Thanks for your input. I must now rethink my bidding. 

[Starry Eyes]

11 hours ago, julig22 said:

I've done it.  The worst that can happen is that they say no.  If you booked through NCL, you can call them.  If you booked through a TA, your TA will have to call for you.

You might lose perks that you took when you booked if you had anything that isn't currently being offered.  Also, if they tell you no, sometimes you can call back and talk to a different agent who will do the upgrade.

One caveat - it's usually a one-time deal.  They might also offer you onboard credit, usually 25% of the price difference, or maybe future cruise credit.  Once you take the offer, you most likely won't be able to come back if prices drop again.

I once upgraded to a mini-suite when it was less than my balcony.  As soon as I upgraded, I did get offers to bid to Haven, etc, so that part doesn't go away.

I agree with the above.  If you are in a cabin with perks and the upgrade you cite is a sail away minisuite rate, I suspect you will not get the upgrade (and perhaps you would not want to, as you would lose your perks!).  

 

You might also want to look carefully at all the available prices for all minisuites and special balconies. Now that prices have fallen, could you upgrade to a spa or aft balcony or minisuite (etc) for a small price?  To some people a special cabin is worth a few more $.  Look over the options and think them over before you call.

 

[tupperstamper]

So I contacted my TA today and she called NCL. After making sure she fully understood what the representive was saying, this is the result. We with are currently in a BA balcony with a fare of 3063.20 per person. The same balcony is now going for $3450 per person and the MB mini suite is $2834 per person. If the BA was priced below what we paid then we could get a mini suite but since it's more, we are out of luck right now. He said keep checking though because the price could always go down. Now to decide do I bid or wait and see what the balcony fare does?